Dragon Girl, Dragon Slayer
by Midnight Cold Dragon
Summary: There is a green and gold flash of reptilian eyes as Iohikäärme flicks her hood farther over her face. "No one can escape their destiny, Cousin. Least o' all, Dragons. Smaug's is a' th' edge o' me sword, an' mine is wi' th' Drag'n-Rider. Bu' who are they, Cousin? I cannae seem tae answer tha'." Gandalf pulls her into a hug. "Oh, Lhûgiell," he sighs. Eventual OC/OC
1. An Unexpected Guest

**AN: Hello, people. I know that I've been neglecting all my other stories, but I've decided to post the beginnings of some fanfics that I've had written out a bit.**

**It's a tragic cliche (that I enjoy and love): "Girl Falls Into/Lives In Middle-Earth and Joins the Company or the Fellowship"**

**This (and most of my others) are all those, with varying ships.**

**Disclaimer: I own Io.**

**xxDragon**

* * *

A girl stands outside the hobbit-hole, staring impassively at the round, green door. She wears sturdy brown leather boots underneath her brown and green knee-length dress. In the space between the hem and the top of the girl's boot is part of the tail of a green, gold, and red tattooed dragon, spiraling up her leg. The brown cloak she wears is blood splattered, although of nice make. The hood is drawn up, the only part of her face visible being her upturned nose, her lips fixed in a snarl, sharp and elongated canine teeth that can only be described as fangs, and her chin. Reddish-brown waves of hair fall down her shoulders to her armpits.

The girl raises a leather-braced hand and knocks thrice. When there is no response for a minute, she sighs. "Oh, fer-" louder, she continues, her voice husky, "open th' damn door 'fore I kick i' in!"

A second later, the door is flung open. In front of the girl stands what she presumes is a Hobbit.

_He looks rather flustered_, she thinks as he stammers a "B-Bilbo Baggins at your-"

The girl cuts him off. "Save i,' Halflin'." Shoving past him, she slings a bow off her shoulder, yanking an arrow out of the quiver that is also hidden under her cloak.

Stomping over to the dining room, trailing a nervous Bilbo Baggins behind her, the arrival knocks the arrow, aiming at the tallest figure (not too hard, the room is filled with dwarves.), clad in grey.

"Who are _you_?" asks a dwarf with blonde hair and a short braided moustache.

She ignores him, and instead snarls at the tall man, "A hill full, a hole full, yet ye cannae catch a bowl full. Wha' am I?"

The man's eyes widen. "Iohikäärme? It cannot be. You fell!"

"Answer th' damned question, afore I shoot!" the girl, Iohikäärme yells.

"Mist," the man replies, causing the girl to shove the arrow back into the quiver and sling the bow back over her shoulder. "But that doesn't explain how you are alive!"

She shrugs, putting on a facade of carelessness and shoving a dwarf with what looks like a starfish on his head out of his seat. "Lon' story. I' took longer 'an 'xpected t' regenera'. An' las' I checked," her voice takes on a sly undertone, "I'm still me father's daugh'er"

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**AN: "Iohikäärme" is my variation of the Finnish word "Lohikäärme"**

**"Iohikäärme" is pronounced **"EYE-oh-hih-kuh-arm-UH"

**At least, that's the way, I'm making it sound.**

**I'll post the meaning next chapter. Maybe. Probably not.**

**xxDragon**


	2. Credentials

**AN: Wow! An update!**

**Thanks to **llcyyxx** for being the only person to do anything but read this!**

**I own Io and the plot twists**

**xxDragon**

* * *

The Dwarf the girl displaced glares at her as she casually leans her chair back and places her boots on the table, looking over to the grey man. "Yer an idio', Cousin," she rasps humorously. "Takin' thirteen dwarves an' a Hobbit t' Erebor t' slay one o' th' las' grea' Dragons." Her eyes narrow in the shadow of her hood. "Even if they're th' dwarves of Erebor," she finishes. Bilbo hurriedly serves her a plate of food and an ale, receiving a nod of gratitude

"How did you find out about Erebor?" a Dwarf with an air of magesty demands stiffly.

Io's hooded face turns to him. "I'd 'eard 'bou' Smaug. I knew yer da'. I knew _you_. I'd been t' Erebor. Conne' th' do's," she chuckled. "Once I'd 'eard yer name, I followed th' rumors 'bou' a wand'rin' dwarf an' a man in grey 'til I 'eard their paths me' in Bree." Kicking her feet back, she gazes up at the ceiling. "From there, I as'd Butterbur 'bout ye, an' trea'ed 'im t' a few drinks. Three hours la'er, I 'ad directions t' 'Obbiton."

Gandalf nods, soberly. If Iohikäärme could figure out what was going on, who knew who else had?

"After wand'rin' a few, I saw th' mark on th' 'Obbit's door. An' 'ere I am," she finishes.

"Aye, but why are ye here, lass?" a Dwarf with a great white beard asks curiously.

Io chuckles dryly. "Ye may I'm an exper'."

"An expert? Of what?" asks the beardless one.

Io grips her mug of ale, tipping it down her throat and chugging it. Slamming it down on the table and tilting her chair forward with a loud _thump_, she grins, exposing her fangs. "Drag'ns, o' course."

When she looks up, her hand comes to rest on the hilt of her ivory (Oliphant tusk) sword. She dislikes all the stares she is given, and, although they cannot see her eyes, she glares right back at each of them in turn. "Wha'?" she asks, irritatedly.

"_Drago_-?"

The grey man interrupts the dwarves. "Yes. Right. So, may I introduce-"

"Iohikäärme," the girl says. "Yer kind-yer _kings_ a' leas'-know me as Io Dragonheart. _Wha'_, Gandalf?" Io snaps, shooting a look at Gandalf who is choking on his pipe smoke.

He clears his throat rather loudly. "Nothing." As he names all the dwarves, Io lets her mind mentally track their family tree. Balin and Dwalin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur-

"Bofur," echos Io. "Yer no' o' Durin's folk, are ye?" she asks. "Yer o' Khazad-Dûm."

Bofur shoots her a surprised look. "Aye."

Io's mind races. "Any relation to Balzud son of Oldur?"

"Aye," Bofur says again, warily. "'E was my great, great, great, great grandfather."

Io grins. "Excellen' warrior, 'e was. 'Is sense o' humor go' 'im into trouble, though, more 'n once. Durin' boo' camp, one o' 'is trainers asked 'im wha' 'e'd do if 'e was ambushed by orcs an' 'e said, 'Shove my axe up their arses!'" The last bit Io said in a deep voice, imitating Balduz.

Gandalf glares at her, continuing with the names over the uproarious laughter.

"Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain," Gandalf concludes.

"King-in-Exile," rasps Io, receiving a glare from said Dwarf.

"Why tell a woman of our quest, Gandalf?" demands Thorin.

"'Ow long do Drag'ns live, Thorin?" asks Io calmly. "'Ow long can they sleep? Wha' is their natural diet? Wha' is Smaug's personality? '_Ow much do ye know abou' Drag'ns, King_?"

"Who are you to know so much about these beasts?" Thorin stands. "Uncover your face, woman."

"Do ye trus' me?" rasps the girl.

"No."

"Until ye trus' me with yer life, this is all o' me face ye'll see," she says simply.

Balin quickly changes the subject. "What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?"

"Aye," Thorin nods. "Envoys from all seven kingdoms."

"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin demands

"They will not come," Thorin replies angrily. "They say this quest is ours, and ours alone."

Bilbo, not quite understanding, asks, "You're going on a quest?"

"Bilbo, my dear fellow," Gandalf rumbles, "let us have a little more light."

Bilbo brings a candle to the table, where Gandalf has spread out a map that he pulls out of his pocket.

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." the Wizard's fingers ghost over the black mountain and letters and the red Dragon.

"The Lonely Mountain," Bilbo reads.

Io has her eyes closed and is nodding. "Erebor. Last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth."

Thorin sends her a sharp look.

"Aye," Gloin says. "Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time."

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end," adds Oin.

Looking concerned and not a little panicked, Bilbo asks hesitantly, "Uh, What beast?"

Bofur puts on an air of cheer as he frightens the poor Hobbit more. "Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

Io growls lowly in her throat as Bilbo tries to calm down. "Yes, I know what a dragon is."

"I should 'it 'im fer tha'," she breathes murderously.

Gandalf looks at her warningly.

"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie."

Ori's sudden outburst distracts Io from killing Bofur as Nori, having relocated, calls, "Good lad, Ori!"

Some of the other dwarves cheer and Dori huffs, "Sit down!"

And then Balin kills the joy: "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

"Hey, who are you calling dim?" Nori demands, rising, others following his example and objecting loudly.

"What did he say?" inquires Oin, holding up his ear trumpet.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!" Fili says loudly.

"And you forget, we have a Wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" agrees Kili, looking at the Istar.

As Gandalf chokes on his pipe smoke again, fumbling for an answer, Io steps in.

"Did I no' mention tha' I'm a Drag'n Slayer?"

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**AN: Wow. Thorin really ****_doesn't_**** like Io.**

**Io is pronounced either** EYE-oh **or** YOH

**R&R and I might give you a new chapter this week.**

**xxDragon**


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